Data centers have been around since the early days of computing, when the typical computer system required the physical space of an entire room. As computers became smaller and less expensive, the personal computer became more prevalent. However, with advances in the availability and speed of computer networks, data centers have become more commonplace, particularly for large enterprises. Modem data centers (also referred to as “cloud computing”) offer a consolidated environment for providing, maintaining, and upgrading hardware and software for an enterprise, in addition to more convenient remote access and collaboration by many users.
Modern data centers also provide more efficient delivery of computing services. For example, it is common for the processor and data storage for a typical desktop computer to sit idle over 90% of the time during use. This is because the most commonly used applications (e.g., word processing, spreadsheets, and Internet browsers) do not require many resources. By consolidating processing and data storage in a data center, the same processor can be used to provide services to multiple users at the same time.
Large data centers (e.g., those serving a large enterprise or even the users of many different organizations) can include many different types and versions of hardware, operating systems, software, and other resources. Diversity in computing resources even within the same data center may be the result of large data centers serving multiple customers each having different requirements. This diversity may also be the result of large data centers being expanded, and components of the data center being upgraded at different times. In any event, it is often difficult to keep track of the resources available in any given data center.